HALL COUNTY - Hall County Fire Services responded to community concerns following Friday’s fire in East Hall that killed 20 horses and two dogs.

A 400-foot chicken house on Pillsbury Road was being sublet as a horse stable, according to authorities. No other injuries were reported.

The call was dispatched at 9:58 p.m. Friday, and Hall County’s first unit arrived 11 minutes later. Hall County’s crews were on scene until 2:07 a.m.

Capt. Zachary Brackett said the size of the fire upon arrival “indicated that the animals were already deceased at the time.”

Attempts by The Times to reach the property owners listed in the report for comment were unsuccessful.

“The investigation is complete, but the official cause is undetermined and accidental,” Brackett wrote in a Wednesday email. “There will be no criminal charges brought by the Hall County fire marshal.” 

Brackett said a Hall County tanker was en route to the call within seven minutes of the call, along with four pumper trucks carrying 750 gallons of water each and several other units.

“Jackson County’s 3,000-gallon tanker was also dispatched after units were advised that two propane tanks and one operational natural gas line were located between the structure that was burning and a second chicken house nearby,” Brackett wrote in a Tuesday email.

One Hall County tanker truck is housed at Station 15 on Autry Spur, and the other is stationed at Station 3 off Ledan Extension.

Fire crews requested sand and gravel from Hall County Public Works at the intersection “due to icing from trucks filling with water,” Brackett said.

“As always, Hall County Fire remains committed to protecting the lives and property of our citizens,” Brackett wrote. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the owners of these animals, and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure we serve this community with the highest level of excellence.”